Toolbar equivalent of space bar

Hi folks!

Is it possible to create a toolbar button that performs the equivalent of pressing the space bar on the keyboard in Outlook Express? I've done this in Outlook with a VB macro, but don't see a way to do it in OE. You can customize the toolbar by adding or removing pre-canned buttons for selected functions, but you can't add macros or `arbitrary key combinations that were not anticipated by OE's authors as far as I can see.

My motive is pure and simple laziness. I much prefer to navigate with my hand on my trackball rather than shifting from it to my keyboard and back all the time. So any suggestions you might have would be very welcome.

--
Robert W. King
I'm an ingenieur, NOT a bloody locomotive driver!
SnailNet: 102 Cypress Springs Road, Pocahontas, Arkansas 72455
BellNet: 870-248-0503
InterNet:
Web site: http://www.wildweasel.net

If you just want to use the spacebar to navigate to the next unread message,
just right click the Toolbar, select Customize and add a button for Next
Unread message (or Next Conversation if that's what you want).
--
Jim Pickering, MVP/Windows Mail applications
Please reply ONLY to newsgroup.


"Robert W. King" wrote in message
...
Hi folks!

Is it possible to create a toolbar button that performs the equivalent of
pressing the space bar on the keyboard in Outlook Express? I've done this in
Outlook with a VB macro, but don't see a way to do it in OE. You can
customize the toolbar by adding or removing pre-canned buttons for selected
functions, but you can't add macros or `arbitrary key combinations that were
not anticipated by OE's authors as far as I can see.

My motive is pure and simple laziness. I much prefer to navigate with my
hand on my trackball rather than shifting from it to my keyboard and back
all the time. So any suggestions you might have would be very welcome.

--
Robert W. King
I'm an ingenieur, NOT a bloody locomotive driver!
SnailNet: 102 Cypress Springs Road, Pocahontas, Arkansas 72455
BellNet: 870-248-0503
InterNet:
Web site: http://www.wildweasel.net

Hi Jim!

I'm already doing that. I'm also using the Refresh button and the Copy To
button. However, for wading through a bunch of messages in Preview mode,
there is a difference between moving to the next message and the behavior
using the space bar. Using the space bar pages through the message text in
preview mode before moving on to the next message. Using the Next Unread
message button means that you only see the first 'page' of a message.

--
Robert W. King
I'm an ingenieur, NOT a bloody locomotive driver!
SnailNet: 102 Cypress Springs Road, Pocahontas, Arkansas 72455
BellNet: 870-248-0503
InterNet:
Web site: http://www.wildweasel.net

"Jim Pickering" jimp (AT) mvps.org wrote in message
...
If you just want to use the spacebar to navigate to the next unread
message, just right click the Toolbar, select Customize and add a button
for Next Unread message (or Next Conversation if that's what you want).
--
Jim Pickering, MVP/Windows Mail applications
Please reply ONLY to newsgroup.


"Robert W. King" wrote in message
...
Hi folks!

Is it possible to create a toolbar button that performs the equivalent of
pressing the space bar on the keyboard in Outlook Express? I've done this
in Outlook with a VB macro, but don't see a way to do it in OE. You can
customize the toolbar by adding or removing pre-canned buttons for
selected functions, but you can't add macros or `arbitrary key
combinations that were not anticipated by OE's authors as far as I can
see.

My motive is pure and simple laziness. I much prefer to navigate with my
hand on my trackball rather than shifting from it to my keyboard and back
all the time. So any suggestions you might have would be very welcome.

--
Robert W. King
I'm an ingenieur, NOT a bloody locomotive driver!
SnailNet: 102 Cypress Springs Road, Pocahontas, Arkansas 72455
BellNet: 870-248-0503
InterNet:
Web site: http://www.wildweasel.net

I use the scroll wheel of the mouse for that. Focus does not have to be
shifted to the Preview Pane, only that the mouse pointer be in the window.
It's all choice I guess. Good luck.
--
Jim Pickering, MVP/Windows Mail applications
Please reply ONLY to newsgroup.


"Robert W. King" wrote in message
...
Hi Jim!

I'm already doing that. I'm also using the Refresh button and the Copy To
button. However, for wading through a bunch of messages in Preview mode,
there is a difference between moving to the next message and the behavior
using the space bar. Using the space bar pages through the message text in
preview mode before moving on to the next message. Using the Next Unread
message button means that you only see the first 'page' of a message.

--
Robert W. King

"Robert W. King" wrote in message

....
QP
Is it possible to create a toolbar button that performs the equivalent of pressing
the space bar on the keyboard in Outlook Express?
/QP


Partly. E.g. when messages are small enough all Spacebar does is
open the next message.

If you open a message in a message window you can have buttons
for Next and Previous which allow you to navigate through a thread
which is already read. Depending on how big you make those message
windows you may find little need to do anything more than go on to the
next one (unless you are dealing with non-trimming bottom-posters eg).

Alternatively, what I do, in order to use the Preview pane instead,
is press Shift-F3 and search for a single space anywhere in each message.
The result of this simple setup is that I can run forward easily through
any thread unread or read, one message at a time. Presumably you could
create buttons which would replace the use of Shift-F3 and F3 (which does
the actual navigation). Again, how much in-message scrolling you need to do
will depend on the size of your Preview pane and the size and layout
of the messages you are reading.


QP
My motive is pure and simple laziness. I much prefer to navigate with my hand
on my trackball rather than shifting from it to my keyboard and back all the time.
So any suggestions you might have would be very welcome.
/QP

Sounds like you have your trackball on the wrong side of your keyboard.
If you put it on the left you can do both, use the trackball for clicking
with the left-hand while the right can operate the Spacebar and
cursor keys, etc. No "shifting" required. In fact then even the Tab key
is within easy reach of the left-hand without as much disruption as
moving the right-hand from mouse to keyboard entails.

E.g. you may find tabbing between Preview pane and Message list
easier than repositioning the pointer and clicking within them.
FWIW I prefer to keep my mouse pointer mostly over the Preview button
and then use my keyboard to change focus, scroll, etc. Doubleclicking
on the Preview button has the useful property of centering a message
near the bottom of the message list pane (e.g. in order to see how it fits
within a thread.)


HTH

Robert Aldwinckle
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